Saturday, March 24, 2007

A German delegation in AP

BHADRACHALAM: For the German delegation from Altlandsburg town, the route to Telugu-German friendship is through the lip-smacking and taste bud-tickling Telugu delicacies.

The tangy and spicy Telugu culinary repertoire, which includes Gongura chutney, prawn curries and fish preparations, is making these Germans want more.

"Telugu food is simply amazing. It's very tasty. I like the non-vegetarian dishes more", said Altlandsburg Lions Club president Andreas Rojenberg. "We tasted Telugu food at Bhavani Islands near Vijayawada"

"The food was delectably tasty", said Red Cross Society general secretary Frank Langish. The lunch and dinner are okay for them. However, Telugu tiffins are a big No No for this German team led by the thirdtime Mayor of Altlandsburg and a Telugu expatriate Gujjula Ravinder Reddy.

On a study-cum-participatory service tour to Andhra Pradesh, where Reddy has taken up tsunami and cyclone relief work, this nine-member team is also worried about high pesticide and chemical fertiliser content in Indian vegetables.

"Our agricultural produce is cultivated through organic farming and is low on synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilisers," said team members Angelica and Gaby.

The team members also visited the Bhadrachalam Rama temple on Tuesday and watched the temple rituals and special poojas with lot of interest. They also enquired about the epic tale of Ramayana from the Vedic scholars present at the temple. Gujjula Ravinder Reddy, their Mayor, was their interlocutor.